Thoughts on a Sample Spree (long)

Right after the holidays I went on a little ordering spree for samples and they are finally starting to come in. Overall it has been a very disappointing experience. *My quest was actually to try to find a good men’s scent that had a primary (or at least a very distinct) rose note.
There had been recent talk of Iquitos. I am old enough to have tried it upon its initial release. It was not a favorite and I never made it through the bottle. I recently acquired Ungaro III which many here feel is a “rose” scent. Happily I love the fragrance. Unfortunately I don’t detect a drop of rose (nor does the Ungaro website indicate there is one).
So I went off and did some sample ordering, mostly scents that I thought I would like based on the basenotes info, and mostly with rosey notes. Here are my first impressions.

Les parfums de Rosine/Rose d’Homme: Absolutely horrible and a great disappointment. I had high hoped for this. Instead of a deep smooth masculine fragrance, I got acrid bug spray. Perhaps there is something in it that I am allergic to? If anyone has ever tried the old drugstore gem “Adolpho for Men”, imagine that gone rancid with the addition of some kerosine. Vile! The biggest shame is this has halted me from wanting to try any more fragrances from this house.

L’Artisan Parfumer/Voleur de Rose: Much better than I had expected. I was not transported to other worlds simply by spraying it, but I enjoyed the very light patchouli and rose that I got from it. It seems to have some staying power too. But while it is perfectly fine, I just can’t imagine wanting to smell like this.

L’Artisan Parfumer/Ananas Fizz: Not a rose scent but a pineapple one. Living in Hawaii I had to give this a shot. Well it is pineapple alright. It is very, very light and sweet with a touch of citrus and cedar. Disappears so quickly you may forget you even put on fragrance. This is too expensive to be so ethereal. Demeter’s Hawaii themed fragrances are very nice and last longer for a lot less money.

Lorenzo Villoresi/Musk: Another high hope brought down to earth. Many of you say this is the ultimate musk…the “must have” of the Villoresi line. I wanted to be one of you! But alas, at this point it is not so. Many people have very vivid associations when they smell a fragrance and I had one with this: feminine hygiene products. Granted I have ZERO experience with said products, but that is what I think when I smell this scent. Kind of powdery….. kind of soapy…..with a very “commercial perfume” smell rather than a personal fragrance type of smell. I haven’t given up on it and will continue to use the sample until it is gone so maybe I will eventually “get it”.

Lorenzo Villoresi/ Incensi: I threw this one in because I am a great fan of fine incense, Japanese mostly, and I wanted to see how this Italian interpretation would fare. Well talk about truth in advertising! Incensi is the name and Incensi is what you get. Very straight forward and linear: fine cedar mixed with incense spices. What I like most about this, is how “light” the whole composition plays. It isn’t overwhelming or suffocating in the least. Another very pleasant smell that I just can’t imagine ever wanting to smell like unfortunately.

Diptyque/Opone: I was promised saffron and roses and that is exactly what I got. No depth. No subtlety. No development. It is too much like any of a hundred cheap rose scented hand lotions that are available at the supermarket….and oh yes some saffron. NEXT!

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier/Santal Noble: All of the basenote raves urged me to try this. I am not a lover (or even liker) or “woody” scents and I have had some pretty nasty run ins with sandalwood so I wasn’t expecting much. Santal Noble was a very nice surprise. An initial blast of chocolate giving way to some cedar and light sandalwood. This is a very soft and easy going combination that has some nice staying power. I’m looking forward to exploring this fragrance house some more.

I also have obtained samples of the Amouage men’s lineup. I just emailed them and asked. The samples were in the mail the next day. Can’t beat that!
Of course I should know better than to even sample extremely expensive scents, because chances are I will like them and then want to spend wads of cash to get full size bottles.
Amouage has proven this rule again. Amazingly I really liked them all except what appears to be the basenote favorite: Amouage Silver. *To my nose Silver was very “skunky” with a “dried spit” finale. No thanks.

Gold: is deep rich and intoxicating. It is very deep powder with and almost greasy animal undertone. I can see why so many people hate it, yet I love it. This scent is so rich that it truly only takes one spray to last you all day. Heck it is almost economical!

Dia: is a beautiful cedar and spice fragrance that could easily become number one on my hit parade, but it seems to have trouble with staying power; four sprays and 2 hours later I can barely smell it. But Dia is really ravishing. It reminds me of the drydown of Patou Pour Homme. Be that as it may, if a fragrance disappears in 3 hours or less I just think it is a waste. It is my SOTD so let’s see how it plays out.

Ciel: is a true men’s floral. It is said to smell of spring and of wildflowers and it does. But it is also very assertive and that can be problematic with a floral scent for men. I tend to like it because it is very different from the usual “masculine” menu, but no one wants to be choked out by “wild rose” during the course of their day. This is another one I’ll have to live with for a while to see how it plays out.

Arcus: is a deep green, almost resinous scent. If you like “green” scents you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. It is very warm and clean and really draws you in. It is also extremely short lived I am sorry to say.

Re: Thoughts on a Sample Spree (long)

Originally Posted by loungeboy

L’Artisan Parfumer/Voleur de Rose: Much better than I had expected. I was not transported to other worlds simply by spraying it, but I enjoyed the very light patchouli and rose that I got from it. It seems to have some staying power too. But while it is perfectly fine, I just can’t imagine wanting to smell like this.

I also have a sampe of this on the way. Glad to hear you liked it but you don't seem as enthused as some other BNers.

Originally Posted by loungeboy

Lorenzo Villoresi/ Incensi: I threw this one in because I am a great fan of fine incense, Japanese mostly, and I wanted to see how this Italian interpretation would fare. Well talk about truth in advertising! Incensi is the name and Incensi is what you get. Very straight forward and linear: fine cedar mixed with incense spices. What I like most about this, is how “light” the whole composition plays. It isn’t overwhelming or suffocating in the least. Another very pleasant smell that I just can’t imagine ever wanting to smell like unfortunately.

Completely agree. Great straight incense fragrance but I'd rather wear something that had more to it - like Chanel Egoiste.

I also have a sampel of Arcus on the way. I'm not a fan of the others in the men's line.

I'm glad to hear you don't detect a rose note in Ungaro III. I have a sampe of this on the way also. But I'm not a fan of rose scents.

Re: Thoughts on a Sample Spree (long)

Thanks Noseorgy. Costes is on my list already for my next round!

And MadScientist, as for Voleur de Rose...well it is a perfectly nice patchouli (mainly) scent. Twenty years ago it may have suited me but it really doesn't speak to my current lifestyle. I would have loved to be transported to all the damp rose gardens after a rain crushing plums beneath my feet (etc etc etc) when I smelled it but all I got was patchouli. What a gip! ;D

Re: Thoughts on a Sample Spree (long)

You will find that Une Rose smells strongly of roses. I have a Malle sample of that one and really enjoy it on occasion. It also lasts forever on me. It is still easy to detect the next day and I once got some on a sweater and could smell it for two weeks! Good luck on your rose quest. I did that a while ago and ended up liking VdR best and Une Rose second. Une Rose is just a bit too strong on me for most occasions so I don't wear it often.

Re: Thoughts on a Sample Spree (long)

Originally Posted by whitebar

You will find that Une Rose smells strongly of roses. *I have a Malle sample of that one and really enjoy it on occasion. *It also lasts forever on me. *It is still easy to detect the next day and I once got some on a sweater and could smell it for two weeks! *Good luck on your rose quest. *I did that a while ago and ended up liking VdR best and Une Rose second. *Une Rose is just a bit too strong on me for most occasions so I don't wear it often.

Thanks! I am hoping the infamous &quot;truffle accord&quot; in Une Rose takes the scent in the direction I am looking for and away from the drugstore &quot;headache rose&quot; I am trying to avoid.
I hope to try No. 88 as Sandalwood suggests too.
All is not lost! 8-)